The Death Stranding Movie Is Moving Forward With Michael Sarnoski

Death Stranding fans, get ready! The live-action adaptation is one step closer to reality.

Ever since its debut in 2019 — then for Playstation 4 — Death Stranding has been a favorite for hard-core gamers with its genre-defying characteristics. Set in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic United States, still reeling from a mysterious cataclysm known as the “Death Stranding, “ the game involves single players controlling the protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges (voiced by Norman Reedus) as he tries delivering packages to isolated cities and survivors in a world where monsters, supernatural creatures, and raiders roam. Its voice actors are household names in Hollywood: Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Troy Baker, and Léa Seydoux.

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Michael Sarnoski Will Write and Direct A Death Stranding Movie Adaptation

He Previously Directed A Quiet Place: Day One

Talks of a Death Stranding film adaptation began brewing three years after the game’s successful launch, and in 2023, it was officially confirmed, with Kojima producing. As first reported by Deadline, the upcoming Death Stranding movie has taken a major leap forward by securing a writer-director, Michael Sarnoski. Deadline describes the film as one that will:

“delve into the game’s mysteries surrounding the “Death Stranding” — a catastrophic series of events that blurred the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead, bringing forth nightmarish creatures into a fragmented world on the brink of collapse.”

A Death Stranding movie will be another addition to the slew of video game-to-film adaptations in active development — a list that includes Until Dawn — already pegged for an April 25, 2025 release date — Watch Dogs, Ghost of Tsushima, and Return to Silent Hill. It’s an unsurprising development, given the success of video game-to-film adaptations, such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the recent record-breaking box office debut of A Minecraft Movie, which became Warner Bros.’ third-biggest debut of all time and a record among video game-to-film adaptations.

Players of Death Stranding eager to see their favorite characters brought to life in live-action are undoubtedly hoping the upcoming film avoids the fate of Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell adaptation — which was ultimately scrapped last year despite early promise. Fortunately, the latest development of Death Stranding is simply more good news for devotees, after the sequel Death Stranding 2: On the Beach released a pre-order trailer back in March ahead of its scheduled June 26 launch. Though unconfirmed, speculation is mounting around a possible Kojima-Keanu Reeves team-up in the sequel or a future game, especially after the latter was spotted at Kojima Productions.

Sarnoski, on his part, may not be the most obvious choice to helm a Death Stranding movie, but it likely stems from the good working relationship the filmmaker has with A24. He is currently directing the studio’s thriller, The Death of Robin Hood. After opening his directorial shop with the 2021 film Pig, the filmmaker’s work wowed eyes at Paramount Studios, who brought him on board to direct the A Quiet Place sequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, which bowed to a decent $261.8 million globally. Sarnoski’s filmography is a bit too scanty to predict his touch on the Death Stranding movie, but his track record doesn’t rebut the presumption that he’s a perfect fit.

No release date nor official title has been publicized for the upcoming Death Stranding movie.

Death Stranding

4/10

Released

November 8, 2019

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language

Engine

Decima

Cross-Platform Play

Yes! Players will share the same server as Steam and Epic users

Cross Save

yes

Sources: Deadline

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Why the Avalanche Scene in Death Stranding 2’s Latest Trailer Is So Important

Death Stranding 2’s pre-order trailer shows a lot of different environmental effects, but the avalanche scene is arguably the most important example.

Source: Deadline